Deputies were responding to reports of gunfire in the area, according to Capt. Pat Yoes, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Detectives are currently looking for witnesses.

"We are putting out an appeal for people to come forward," Yoes said.

Several neighbors living in and around the subdivision where Rachal was killed said they heard a single gunshot late Friday night. One neighbor, who lives down the road from the scene of the crime, said he saw Rachal's body shortly after the shooting.

"Everyone heard the gunshot," said the neighbor, who declined to give his name. "Just one shot. I thought someone was popping firecrackers, but when I went out I saw him laying there. It was just one gunshot, right to the head."

A man who identified himself as Slim Jenkins, who lives in the subdivision, said he believed Rachal did not live in St. Rose full-time, but would often stay in the subdivision with Rachal's children and their mother.

"He's normally out here, but I hadn't seen him for a little while before the other day," Jenkins said. "I saw him the day he got killed. But then, I woke up the next morning and heard he was dead. He had kids, and he was all about his kids. Taking care of them, getting money for them."

Some neighbors said they believed Rachal lived in St. John the Baptist Parish -- in either Reserve or LaPlace -- at least until very recently. In February of last year, Rachal was arrested in St. John Parish, and booked with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, illegal use of weapons, possession of stolen things $500-$1,500, and theft of a firearm, among other charges. His listed address was on the 2200 block of Van Arpel Drive in LaPlace.

Some Ole Man River Apartments residents suggested that Rachal's murder may be connected to recent murders in St. John Parish, which has experienced a spike in violent crime with seven homicides in less than three months. St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said Monday his office is working closely with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.

"We are obligated to look into the possibility that this is tied into everything else we've been working recently," Tregre said. "There are some links that I can't expose right now."

In an interview earlier this month, Tregre said that the rash of murders is unusual for the parish, and believes the recent homicides may be related.

"We have a problem with young black men killing each other," he said. "But one definite pattern is that a number of these homicide victims all knew each other. We don't know the exact motivation for all of these killings, but there is one distinct pattern."

Rachal's murder is the second this year in St. Charles Parish. On Jan. 11, 18-year-old Michael Cray was shot and killed, also in St. Rose.

Anyone with information about the murder of Deaneal Rachal is asked to contact detective Jeremy Pitchford by calling 985.783.1135. The public can also call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 877.903.7867. Tips can be texted to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637); text TELLCS then the crime information. Callers or texters do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment.